the FINAL Fantasy
by Rikku Kisaragi
Summary: My first murder mystery! It's the end of Final Fantasy! A murderer is on the loose and nobody is safe. Will anyone survive? See if you can guess who the killer is! (explicit blood & gore/mild language)
1. First Blood

Note:  
  
What you are about to read is a murder mystery fan fiction based on the characters and geography of Final Fantasy VII. Any event from the game beyond receiving the black materia did not occur for the sake of this fan fic. Aeris remains alive, Sephiroth has completely vanished, and the black materia has been hidden forever so it may never be used. Sorry for the brief and rather lame explanation, but I'm not going to make up the tedious details of events that did not even occur in and are not important to this story.  
  
As mentioned in the quick profile, this story is rated 'R' for explicit blood, gore, and mild language. You have now been warned, twice in fact.  
  
Try to unravel the mystery of the murderer, and see if you can figure out their motives by the end of Chapter Six. Read on, and enjoy!  
  
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Chapter One: First Blood  
  
  
  
Tifa sat quietly on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn, attentively watching the television set. It was late Friday night and Cloud was at the bar with some friends, but Aeris was home with her. At the moment she was upstairs getting something to quench their unbelievable thirst from their salty snack. They were watching a scary movie, and there was a great thunderstorm raging outside contributing to the atmosphere. All the lights in the house were also out, partly because Cloud had blown a fuse, but also to create a spooky effect on the household for their Late Night Scary Movie Fest. The girls had phoned Yuffie to join in on their Fest, but she was out. Too bad; now that they had gotten to know her she was quite fun to be around.  
  
Tifa continued to watch. She had offered to pause the movie while Aeris was upstairs, but she had declined. Tifa suspected that she was a bit frightened, being a touch weak of stomach, and had wanted to leave anyway. True, the effect of the surround sound system, high volume, and previously mentioned atmospherical effects made the movie seem frighteningly real. Tifa smiled slightly: she enjoyed frighteningly real movies, even if her friend did not.  
  
Speaking of whom, Aeris certainly was taking her time. It had been several minutes now. Perhaps twenty. Where had she gotten to? It should only have taken her a moment to grab a couple of sodas and return downstairs. Even if she had paused on the way up to attend to some private function, she should have been back long ago. She wouldn't have left Tifa to watch the movie alone just because she was afraid. What had happened?  
  
Tifa was a tough girl. She didn't fear many things, and she could certainly defend herself well. But the combined effect of the scary movie, absence of light, and phenomenal storm had generated a certain fear for her closest friend. She decided to get up and investigate. Setting the bowl of popcorn aside, Tifa ventured slowly up the staircase and into the hall.  
  
"Aeris! You ok?" she called. No answer. Strange, Aeris was most polite and had always answered when spoken to. Tifa's heart thundered in her chest. Something was definitely wrong. She now had a very bad feeling. She should have gotten up and checked on her sooner. What was going on?  
  
Tifa wandered into the kitchen, where her friend's destination had been. The fridge door was slightly ajar, but that wasn't anything new; it was old and stubborn, and rarely ever closed properly. Still, it worried her even more. Aeris was not here. Where was she?  
  
"Aeris?" she tried again. A dull roar of thunder and crack of lightning sounded in response. Tifa shivered. She closed the refrigerator door and made sure it stayed shut. Then she walked through the kitchen towards the dining room.  
  
Here, something was definitely amiss. A chair was thrown across the room. Two bottles of soda were in shatters on the ground. The dining table was pushed slightly to the side, the tablecloth falling off and the gorgeous vase of flowers, a gift from Cloud, which once served as a centrepiece had spilled onto the floor. Dark footprints from the spilled water and soda led out of the room. Aeris' footprints.  
  
Alarmed, Tifa stalked cautiously towards the foyer, where the footprints led. She stopped to pick up half of a broken bottle; it would make do for a crude weapon.  
  
A deafening clap of thunder sounded, a blinding flash of lightning filled the room. Tifa jumped. The light revealed the true colour of the footprints and the spilled liquid: it was deep red. Blood red. Tifa ran to the foyer. There, by the open door, was Aeris. Dripping with blood, heart torn from her chest, her corpse lay draped across the floor. Even the booming thunderclaps could not drown Tifa's piercing scream; it could be heard throughout all of Nibelheim. 


	2. Breaking News

Chapter Two: Breaking News  
  
  
  
Cloud closed his eyes, trying hard to hold back the very unmanly tears. At the sound of Tifa's scream, he had come running home, only to stumble upon the body of his beloved Aeris. The very thought of who would do such a thing to such an undeserving person made him sick.  
  
He had his arm around Tifa as she sobbed gently into his shoulder. Cloud was not the only one who would suffer from this; Tifa had just lost her best friend, and many people had liked her. She had, so far as he knew, no enemies. Cloud tried his best to comfort his friend, but he could not even comfort himself. Who had done this? Why? Aeris had never sought any conflict with anyone. Who would have the motive to murder her? Cloud just didn't know.  
  
The police had long since taken the body away, but it still haunted Cloud's memory. She had been stabbed in the back and stomach, and her heart had been gouged from her chest with half of a broken bottle. What sick, twisted human being had performed this deed..?  
  
  
  
"Barret, you had better come look at this."  
  
Barret left Marlene's room. He had been checking on her, as she had been having nightmares lately. Tonight she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Barret was happy. He walked down the hall to the living room.  
  
"What's up Vincent?" Barret and Vincent had become good friends, and since he had had nowhere to go after Cloud woke him from his sleep in the ShinRa basement, Barret had invited Vincent to live with himself and Marlene in North Corel. They got along well, though Vincent didn't talk much, but Marlene thought his friend to be a little creepy. Barret suspected that was the source of her nightmares, but the little girl had refused to tell him what they were about.  
  
Vincent indicated the television. "Look for yourself."  
  
Barret looked. He was watching the news. On the screen was a man talking about what sounded like a murder. The scene changed over to what appeared to be a young couple. The girl was crying, the young man had his arm around her. Barret recognised them in an instant.  
  
"Tifa! Cloud! What's going on?" Before Vincent could respond, the scene changed again. There was a freshly killed corpse, oozing with blood, of a pretty young woman. Some torn body part that Barret did not care to identify lay on the floor beside her. In a moment, Barret recognised her too.  
  
"Shit! That's Aeris!"  
  
Vincent nodded grimly. "Murdered. Right in her own home."  
  
Barret hardly believed his eyes. What kind of a sick bastard!?  
  
"Cloud! We gotta go see Cloud!" Barret started for the door.  
  
"But you cannot leave Marlene," Vincent pointed out.  
  
"Shit! Marlene!" Barret cursed himself for acting without thinking first.  
  
"Let her sleep," Vincent suggested. "We can depart for Nibelheim in the morning."  
  
"But Tifa and Cloud-" Barret began.  
  
"-can take care of themselves until we arrive." Vincent concluded.  
  
Somewhat reluctantly, Barret agreed. Let Marlene have one last peaceful dream before the nightmare of reality is laid upon her.  
  
  
  
Cid gaped in shock at the television screen, and he heard Shera gasp. His jaw dropped and his cigarette fell to the floor. He grabbed it up quickly before it set fire to the carpet. Aeris, murdered. Who would do such a thing? Cid stared in utter disbelief as the scene zoomed in on the victim's horror-stricken face. Her eyes were glazed over, her hair knotted horrendously and strewn messily across her face. Her neck was dotted with spatters of blood.  
  
Her hair...  
  
"SHIT!!!" Cid exclaimed. Who would have thought that someone like that would be capable of such a thing? No time to ponder why: Cid had to warn Cloud before it was too late. He jumped up from the couch.  
  
"I've got to go tell Cloud!" he declared.  
  
"I'm sure Cloud already knows, dear." Shera said softly. She was crying.  
  
"No, not that! The murderer..." Cid didn't even bother to finish his sentence. He grabbed his spear and headed for the door.  
  
"Cid, what are you doing?" Shera cried, running after him.  
  
"I've gotta warn Cloud," Cid told her frantically. "They'll be after him next..." He may not be 100% certain he knew who the killer was, but he had a pretty damn good idea. He had seen what the others had missed, or rather, he had not seen what the others had never thought to look for. Cid burst out the door.  
  
"But hunny-" Shera began.  
  
"Stay here, Shera." Cid commanded. "I'll be back as soon as I tell Cloud." He didn't give Shera a chance to protest; he set off quickly for Nibelheim. 


	3. Departures

Chapter Three: Departures  
  
  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
Cid jumped. He was about halfway to Nibelheim, having taken a rarely used shortcut, his hatred for the murderer growing stronger every step of the way. Yes, he was sure he knew their identity now, and they had just discovered him. He turned to face the opposition.  
  
"Yeah," he retorted boldly. "I'm going to Nibelheim to tell Cloud what you've done, you selfish little fuck." He drew his spear. "But I'll take care of you first, if you prefer."  
  
"Yes, I suppose I'll have to get rid of you now, since you've found me out," the murderer replied. Cid whirled his spear and lunged at his opponent. The battle began.  
  
  
  
Cait Sith stood tall on his mog in the middle of Wonder Square, listening intently to the local gossip. One could learn a great deal, listening to the public when they didn't know you were doing it. He focused on a small group of children and their mother.  
  
"Mommy," one of the children pleaded, "can I go play on the snowboarding game? Pleeeeeease!"  
  
"Nuh-uh," another child argued, "I wanna go play in Speed Square!"  
  
Cute, Cait Sith thought to himself, but I was hoping to pick up on some actual news. He turned to listen in on a couple of middle-aged men chatting nearby.  
  
"Did you hear about that girl on the news?" one of the men was saying. "What was her name? Aeris, or something?"  
  
Hey, Aeris! Cait Sith hadn't heard from her in a long time. She was in the news? He listened closely.  
  
"Yeah," the other man confirmed. "Looked like she was a pretty little thing before she died. Can you believe that? Murdered, in her own home..."  
  
Murdered! Cait Sith nearly fell off his mog. Aeris had been murdered! Who would do such a horrible thing? He had to talk to Cloud! Except that he couldn't make long distance phone calls from here. He would have to travel to Nibelheim.  
  
I wonder if Yuffie knows, Cait Sith thought to himself as he headed for the Ghost Hotel. I know she's got a room here... He approached the door to Yuffie's hotel room and knocked politely.  
  
"Who is it?" Yuffie's voice called from somewhere beyond the door. Cait Sith opened the door and invited himself in.  
  
"It's me!" he proclaimed. "Did you hear? Aeris is dead!"  
  
"Yeah," Yuffie answered, her eyes downcast. "I saw it on the news last night. I can't believe someone could be sick enough to do that kind of thing..." she looked away, as though holding back tears. Cait Sith knew that they had been good friends. He didn't want to see Yuffie cry, so he got straight to the point.  
  
"Well, I'm going to Nibelheim right now to see how Cloud's taking it," he told her. "You wanna go?"  
  
Yuffie wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Ok," she said. "I'll catch up with you though, I've got to pack up some things first, and pay my bill."  
  
"Sure thing," Cait Sith agreed. He knew Yuffie could catch up to him readily, as the big ungainly mog did not move very fast. "I'll see ya later then."  
  
With that he left her room, and started off for Nibelheim.  
  
  
  
Marlene was awakened bright and early. It had been her first night of peaceful sleep in weeks, and she was not at all pleased, but too late: she was already awake. Now, in fact, she was already on her way to Nibelheim.  
  
For some reason, Daddy and Vincent really thought that they should go pay Cloud and Tifa a visit. Marlene didn't understand why, and neither of the adults seemed willing to tell. She liked Tifa, as she was very nice, but Marlene did not like Cloud. She didn't know him very well, for one thing, and he also seemed pretty stupid. Marlene had thought the Flower Lady lived with them as well, but she must have been mistaken because Daddy hadn't mentioned her. That was a shame, because Marlene really liked her, too.  
  
In the meantime, her little feet were getting sore from all this walking.  
  
"Daddy," she whined, "I'm tired!"  
  
"Sorry Marlene, but we've still got a long way to go," he apologised. "C'mere and I'll carry ya fer a bit."  
  
Marlene scrambled over to her father and he picked her up and placed her on his shoulders. Marlene liked this particular perch; things seemed to look different from this much higher perspective.  
  
They continued along the newly built mountain path silently. Marlene suspected something was wrong, because though Vincent didn't like to talk much, Daddy did, and he wasn't talking either. She hoped that Cloud and Tifa were ok, even if Cloud was an idiot. 


	4. Sacrifice

Chapter Four: Sacrifice  
  
  
  
Barret walked silently along the path with Vincent and Marlene, still shaken by the recent news. Soon they would reach Nibelheim, and the long walk would be through. That was good, because he knew Marlene was getting very tired, and he had set her down to walk quite some time ago. He would have continued carrying her, but he couldn't help it; his shoulders were getting sore from carrying her so long.  
  
Barret continued walking. The path itself was quite barren, but it was surrounded on either side by thick brush. A strong wind was blowing. Marlene paused to pick a large pink flower from the edge of the path. As Barret watched her, a strange bit of white fluff, perhaps some kid of animal fur caught in the wind, floated over her head and across the path. There was a slight rustle in the brush. Barret glanced towards the sound, just barely catching a glimpse at a familiar person. He was about to greet them and ask why they were in the brush rather than on the path, when suddenly he realised what they were doing. He glanced from the white fluff, which he now recognised as a bit of cotton, to the person in the brush. They hadn't noticed him yet.  
  
"Go," he commanded Vincent in a low tone of voice.  
  
"I beg your pardon?" Vincent responded. The person in the brush saw their party now, and was readying an attack.  
  
"Take Marlene, go!" Barret shouted frantically. Vincent looked confused, but he didn't argue. He picked up Marlene.  
  
"But Daddy-" she began.  
  
"Go! Vincent will take care of you!" he instructed, aiming his gun-arm at the person in the brush. Marlene threw her arms around Vincent's neck, terrified.  
  
"I will see you when we reach Nibelheim," Vincent told him. But somehow he doubted that would be true.  
  
  
  
Some time later, out of breath from running with the child in his arms, Vincent arrived at the door of Cloud's home with Marlene. Breathlessly, he set her down and knocked. The door opened a crack and an eye peered out.  
  
"Who is it?" a familiar voice asked cautiously from the other side of the door. Then the door opened up wide, revealing the person behind it.  
  
"Oh, Vincent!" Tifa exclaimed. "Sorry, we're just really nervous around here... Come on in! Hello, Marlene!" Tifa scooped up the little girl and gave her a big hug, carrying her into the house. Vincent followed, shutting and locking the door behind him. Tifa was right to be nervous, with an unidentified murderer on the loose!  
  
He followed Tifa into the living room where he was greeted by Cloud.  
  
"Hey Vincent," he said. "Where's Barret?"  
  
Vincent grimaced. "I am afraid he will not be coming..." he glanced at Marlene. She was a pretty bright child, and he knew nothing could be hidden from her for long. Still, Vincent did not want to suggest what he was about to tell Cloud in front of her. "Let us talk elsewhere."  
  
Cloud followed his gaze. Slightly perplexed, he agreed. He led Vincent into the kitchen.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"We were travelling here," Vincent began, "when suddenly he stopped. He told me to take Marlene and run. He looked so serious I could only comply. I heard many gunshots as I ran, and some shouting. I fear he has run afoul of the murderer himself, but I regret that I did not recognise their voice over the noise of the battle."  
  
For a moment, Cloud stood silently. "He could be alright," he said finally. "Maybe he's on his way here now."  
  
"Perhaps," Vincent agreed. But he did not truly believe that, and Cloud did not look as though he did either.  
  
"Let's go back to the girls." Cloud suggested. Vincent nodded. In the living room, Tifa was sitting on the couch talking to Marlene. When Vincent entered, Marlene whispered something to her. Tifa glanced towards Vincent, giggled, and whispered something back. Marlene giggled too.  
  
"What was that all about?" Cloud asked.  
  
Tifa rose from the couch. "Nothing," she told him with a smirk. "So Vincent, to what do we owe this visit?"  
  
"Well," he began.  
  
Marlene interrupted. "Where's the Flower Lady?"  
  
A deathly silence fell over he room. Marlene looked from one person to another, expecting an answer.  
  
Cloud cleared his throat. "Umm... Tifa," he said, "why don't you take Marlene upstairs to the guest room?"  
  
"Of course," Tifa said softly.  
  
"But I wanna know where the Flower Lady is," Marlene protested.  
  
"Come on upstairs dear," Tifa said, "and I'll tell you."  
  
Marlene followed her out of the room, looking worried and confused. Poor child. She was to lose a father and a good friend, all in the same day. Vincent and Cloud exchanged a sorrowful glance.  
  
In a few moments Tifa reappeared, looking grim.  
  
"How'd it go?" Cloud asked her.  
  
Tifa frowned. "I think she's crying. She asked me to leave her alone for a while... poor Marlene."  
  
Vincent and Cloud nodded solemnly in agreement.  
  
  
  
Tifa tried hard to hold back the tears as Vincent described the events of his arrival. She felt horrible. She had had to break to Marlene the news of Aeris, and soon she may have to tell her the same thing about her father. Who was going to take care of her? Certainly not Vincent! Tifa would take care of Marlene herself, if need be. She prayed she wouldn't need to, but it was already very late and Barret had not arrived. 


	5. A Trip to Seventh Heaven

Chapter Five: A Trip to Seventh Heaven  
  
  
  
Red XIII ran quickly through the woods. He had just seen Aeris' murder on the news last night, and had left for Nibelheim immediately. Little did he know what he would find along the way.  
  
Cait Sith, in shreds. Dragged into the forest and sliced and diced to dozens of pieces, Red had only recognised it from the cat's head, which was the only part that was still mostly intact. A soggy mess of cotton stuffing and material littered the ground. Many animals had trodden over it, and it had rained last night, so the scent of the murderer was lost. So were any footprints that there might have been.  
  
Red ran on. He could not tell how long ago the murderer had been there, but he suspected it was recently enough. He needed to reach Nibelheim. Quickly. Soon the town came into view. Red XIII sprinted to Cloud's house. Panting furiously, he approached the door. He waited a moment to catch his breath, then called:  
  
"Cloud? Are you there?"  
  
He heard voices and footsteps within the house. They seemed hesitant. He tried again.  
  
"It's me, Red XIII!"  
  
Now the footsteps approached, and the door opened. Cloud greeted him.  
  
"Hey Red. Come on in. What brings you here?"  
  
"I saw Aeris on the news," Red told him, entering the house. "I came as soon as I heard. I found something along the way." He proceeded to tell Cloud about his discovery of Cait Sith. Cloud shook his head.  
  
"What do they want?" he questioned himself. "I don't understand. First Aeris, now Cait Sith... and we still don't know about Barret..."  
  
"Barret?" Red asked.  
  
Cloud told him about Vincent's story.  
  
Red XIII shrugged. "I do not know what they want. We will have to stay on guard, though. The body was not too far from here, the murderer could still be close."  
  
  
  
Yuffie stood at the door of Cloud's house, took a deep breath, and knocked. She hadn't visited him for a long time, and she wasn't sure he had quite forgiven her for being a pest a while back. She was sorry for it now, but she could not change the past.  
  
The door opened a crack.  
  
"Who is it?" a familiar voice asked.  
  
"It's me," Yuffie proclaimed.  
  
The door opened, and Cloud was there. "Oh, hey Yuffie. Come on in." Yuffie followed Cloud into the house.  
  
"I'm so sorry to hear about Aeris," she told him. "I saw her on the news, and..." she paused, blinking away tears.  
  
"Yeah..." Cloud murmured, his eyes downcast. "They got Cait Sith, and maybe Barret too." He brought Yuffie up to date with the recent events.  
  
"Cait Sith..?" Yuffie asked, horrified. "I was supposed to catch up to him, but..."  
  
"I guess it's a good thing you didn't," said Cloud, "or it could have been you, too."  
  
Yuffie shivered. It was creepy to think that she could have been torn to shreds like that.  
  
They arrived at the living room where Yuffie exchanged greetings with Vincent and Red XIII. She set down her bag in the doorway and sat on the couch, and chatting with Cloud.  
  
"Hey, look," Vincent said suddenly. He indicated the television screen. He was watching the news. It showed a picture of a burning house. A house Yuffie recognised.  
  
"Cid!" Cloud cried, horrified. However, it was not Cid who was in the house when it burned. Yuffie listened to the reporter as all eyes glued themselves to the television.  
  
"The home of thirty-four year old Cid Highwind was burned to the ground late Saturday night," the news reporter began. "His wife, thirty-two year old Shera, whom was rescued and admitted to the hospital, passed away last night with 3rd degree burns and injuries from fallen debris. Cid Highwind was discovered some distance away-"  
  
The scene now switched from the burning house to Cid. There were several gasps of horror around the room. He lay in the middle of a path, surrounded by a pool of blood, his spear pierced through his gut.  
  
"It is suspected," the reporter continued, "that these events are somehow linked to the murder of twenty-four year old Aeris Gainsborough last Friday evening..."  
  
What a horrible way to die, Yuffie thought to herself. Impaled upon your own weapon... Yuffie shivered, suffering a vision of herself with her prized Shuriken stabbed through her back. She got up, turned away from the television, and picked up her bag.  
  
Yuffie came face to face with Tifa, who was carrying around a pile of crackers. Wordlessly, the two girls hugged each other. They had come to know each other well, and Yuffie knew that Tifa felt absolutely horrible right now. Her friends were dropping left and right.  
  
"How are you holding out?" Yuffie inquired as they broke from the embrace.  
  
"I'm trying my best to stay sane," Tifa replied, forcing a smile. It did not last long. Poor girl. Though she may seem to be alright during the day, Yuffie suspected she cried herself to sleep at night. She smiled back comfortingly.  
  
"Come on into the kitchen and have a seat," Tifa invited. Yuffie followed her and sat beside her on the table. Tifa offered her a cracker from her pile. Yuffie accepted it. It was very salty, but good.  
  
"So how are things?" Tifa asked, eating a cracker herself. "We haven't heard from you in quite a while."  
  
"Not too bad, I guess." Yuffie replied. She reached into her pack and took out a bottle of soda. Opening it, she lifted it to her lips.  
  
"Oh, can I please have a drink?" Tifa asked.  
  
Yuffie paused. "Sure, Tif. Here." She handed her friend the bottle, allowing her to have first sip. Yuffie didn't really like sharing, but Tifa was a good friend, and now was really not the time to be greedy.  
  
"Thanks," Tifa said gratefully. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a good drink. Then she stopped, making a face. Yuffie looked at her questioningly.  
  
"This tastes kinda funny," Tifa told her. "Did you check the expiration date?" She examined the bottle, looking for one.  
  
"Yeah, it should be fine," Yuffie said, confused and slightly insulted. "Here, let me see." Tifa handed her the bottle. The expiration date was weeks away.  
  
Yuffie was about to take a sip of the drink herself, when Tifa began coughing and gasping for breath. Yuffie put the bottle down, startled.  
  
"Tifa!?"  
  
Tifa gasped again, choking violently. Then she fell to the floor, limp.  
  
"TIFA!!!"  
  
Yuffie's cry brought everyone rushing into the room. Cloud ran past her to the girl on the floor.  
  
"Tifa!" he cried.  
  
"What happened?" Vincent asked.  
  
"W-we were just t-talking," Yuffie stuttered. "And T-tifa took a s-sip of my soda, a-and..."  
  
Red XIII approached the bottle and sniffed it. "It is poisoned," he said. "The murderer must have slipped it into your drink when you were not paying attention."  
  
"Poisoned!" Yuffie cried, appalled.  
  
"She's still alive," said Cloud. He was checking Tifa's pulse.  
  
"Let us get her to a hospital," Vincent suggested. "Quickly."  
  
Everyone began piling out the door. Yuffie followed, numbly. She shuddered. If she had taken a drink of that herself...  
  
  
  
Tifa woke, feeling disoriented. Her vision was blurry and all she could see was white. Was she in heaven? She could see a blurry figure wandering around. Who was that? She tried to call out to them, but all that came out was a stifled moan. The figure turned towards her, then hurried away.  
  
As her mind and vision began to clear, Tifa realised that she was not in heaven, but in a hospital. The nurse that she had seen before returned with a doctor, who checked her over and said she would be fine and she just needed to rest. But Tifa was confused. What had happened to her? Why was she here?  
  
Slowly, her memory returned. She had taken a sip of Yuffie's soda, and then had passed out. Someone must have tried to poison Yuffie, but Tifa had drunk the soda instead! First Aeris, then Cait Sith, then Cid and Shera, and now almost Yuffie and Tifa herself... Who was responsible for all this?  
  
The door to Tifa's hospital room opened slowly and Yuffie stepped in, looking shaken.  
  
"Hey Tifa," she said softly. "How you feeling?"  
  
"Ok, I guess..." she told her. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah..." Yuffie replied. "I'm so sorry Tifa, I don't know how I couldn't have noticed. My bag was beside me the whole time. That damn murderer is awfully sneaky! I hope we catch him and give him what he deserves."  
  
"Yeah," Tifa agreed. "Me too." 


	6. Heightened Emotion

Chapter Six: Heightened Emotion  
  
  
  
Cloud shook his head, sitting down next to Vincent on the couch. It was mid- afternoon; the day after Tifa ended up in the hospital from being poisoned. The doctors said she would be alright, but they wanted to keep her for a couple of nights for observation. She was probably safer there anyway. Yuffie, Vincent, and Red XIII had remained with Cloud since they arrived, deciding that it was probably safest to stay together rather than to separate. They still hadn't heard from Barret, so they also took care of Marlene. The poor child hadn't spoken to any of them since Tifa told her about Aeris the evening she arrived. It was probably harder on her than it was on anyone. She was so young... too young, to have to go through the loss of the lives of so many she knew... Cloud prayed that by some miracle, Barret was still alive and would come waltzing through the door any minute to pick her up and tell her everything was ok. But it was false hope; Cloud knew that he was gone, and he wasn't coming back.  
  
Yet he still didn't understand. The murderer was clearly targeting him and his circle of closest friends, the members of AVALANCHE and friends who assisted Cloud in rescuing the planet from meteor. But why? What did they want? Cloud just didn't know.  
  
"Hey," Yuffie said to him. "Where's Marlene? I haven't seen her all day."  
  
Cloud glanced around the room. The little girl was nowhere to be seen.  
  
He shrugged. "I dunno. Must still be upstairs. I'll go check on her."  
  
Cloud got up and headed for the stairs.  
  
"Poor child," he heard Red XIII say. The others solemnly agreed. Cloud climbed up the stairs to Tifa's bedroom, which he had given to Marlene while she was in the hospital. Tifa's condition had made the child abruptly worse: she had liked Tifa just as much as, if not more than, Aeris, as she had known her longer. Now Marlene hardly ventured from her room. In fact there she was; lying on Tifa's bed with the remote, evidently watching cartoons. But she didn't seem to be paying very much attention to them.  
  
"Hey Marlene," Cloud said gently. She didn't even look at him. She just lowered her gaze.  
  
"Why don't you come downstairs and have something to eat?"  
  
Marlene still didn't acknowledge him. He tried again.  
  
"You can just help yourself to whatever you want," he said. "There's cookies in the cupboard next to the fridge."  
  
When, after a long moment, Marlene still didn't respond, Cloud sighed and turned back downstairs. He entered the living room and sat back down on the couch.  
  
"Did you find her?" Vincent inquired.  
  
"Yeah, she's in Tifa's room," Cloud replied. "I tried to convince her to come down for something to eat, but she wouldn't say anything."  
  
Yuffie stood. "Let me try. No offence Cloud, but I think she likes me better than you." She smiled slightly.  
  
Cloud smiled back. "None taken, I think you're right. Go ahead."  
  
Yuffie exited the room, heading up the stairs.  
  
"She's going to have to eat something," Red XIII said, "or there's going to be more people than just Tifa in the hospital."  
  
"I know," Cloud muttered. "I know..."  
  
Yuffie returned after a moment, frowning.  
  
"Any luck?" Vincent asked her.  
  
She shook her head. "Not at all. Poor Marlene..." She sat down, sighing deeply.  
  
"Hey, look." Vincent said, indicating the television. A news reporter was on the screen. "Another murder."  
  
Cloud and the others all turned to the screen, expecting the worst. They were right.  
  
"Another bone-chilling case," the reporter began. "The body of thirty-seven year old Barret Wallace was discover early this morning, frozen stiff..."  
  
The screen shifted and there was Barret, literally frozen in a fighting stance, his gun-arm aimed. His lips were blue and icicles hung from his outstretched arm. He was incased in ice.  
  
"The victim died from severe hypothermia..." the reported continued. That was enough. Cloud turned off the TV, storming into the kitchen.  
  
"Cloud..?" he heard Yuffie call. Cloud didn't care.  
  
"Why... why is this happening to me?" he shouted. "WHY?" he kicked the wall, enraged. A picture frame fell from it, shattering. Yuffie, Vincent and Red ran into the room.  
  
"Cloud, calm down!" Yuffie cried. Cloud didn't listen. He punched the wall.  
  
"That is not going to help you," Vincent protested.  
  
Cloud punched the wall again. Again.  
  
"Cloud, listen to them," Red XIII growled.  
  
Cloud's arm plunged into the wall. He retracted his fist, knuckles bleeding, and collapsed into a chair at the table. He put his face in his hands, and cried. This was just too much. Save for the sound of Cloud's sobbing, the house was completely silent.  
  
Someone moved slightly, and suddenly something clanged loudly to the ground, startling him. Cloud turned and looked towards the sound. Then he gasped in astonishment.  
  
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WAIT!  
  
Please take a moment right now to review this story and leave your guess as to who the killer is before you go on to read the final chapter. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Vincent, Red XIII, and Marlene are still alive. Or is it someone else? Please guess! Thanks!  
  
- Rikku Kisaragi. 


	7. Revelation

Chapter Seven: Revelation  
  
  
  
All turned to Yuffie as the white materia fell from her pocket and bounced to the floor, clanging loudly on the hard linoleum, and rolling off to the side.  
  
"It was you!" Cloud accused her, standing. His eyes were wide in surprise, but they narrowed quickly into hatred.  
  
Red XIII growled. "I should have known," he said, glaring at her.  
  
"B-but, I-I didn't do it!" Yuffie protested, backing up to the other side of the room. She was just as astonished as the others. How had the white materia gotten there? Had she been framed? "I-I don't even know how it got there!"  
  
Oh, but you do! a voice inside her head informed her. And suddenly she did know. She had sneaked into Cloud's home, late at night, murdered Aeris, and taken it from her, slipping it into her pocket. Why had she done such a horrible thing? Aeris had been a good friend!  
  
Allow me to give you back your memory... the voice said to her. And then it all came flowing back.  
  
  
  
After murdering Aeris, Yuffie had returned to her hotel room in the Gold Saucer to clean up. The next day she headed back for Nibelheim, packing a poisoned soda among her usual things. On the way, she encountered Cid heading determinedly for Nibelheim himself, obviously having figured out who had murdered Aeris. Yuffie had stopped him, murdered him too, and then travelled to Rocket Town to burn down his house and Shera, in case he should have told her. She returned again to her hotel room, to wash off the blood. Before she had the chance to get clean, however, Cait Sith had blundered in on her in her bloody state. Fearing he had seen the blood on her clothes, she hunted him down and slashed him to bits. As she was finishing off with him, Barret and his party had stumbled upon her. Vincent and Marlene got away as Barret foolishly sacrificed himself, and she used her mastered materia to cast a deadly ice spell on him before he could even get a shot. It was too late to go after the others, so she hoped they hadn't seen her and rushed back to her hotel room to clean up yet again. When she had finally arrived at Cloud's home, she lost all memory of these events and entered his house as her innocent self. She remembered only having watched the death of Aeris on the news, nothing more. She had had truly no idea the soda was poisoned when she handed it to Tifa, and had been properly horrified when she realised how narrowly she had escaped her own death. Then, just moments before hearing about Barret's death on the news, she had gone upstairs and locked Marlene in Tifa's room.  
  
Now she remembered all of these events, and where it all began. She had been sitting in her hotel room in the Gold Saucer, in the middle of her well-deserved vacation, when she heard a voice. It sounded distinctly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. It claimed to be a lost spirit and offered to tell her the location world's two most powerful materia if she would allow it to possess her and help it return to the planet. Like the greedy fool she was, she accepted. The instant the spirit began to fuse with her body she realised what a horrible mistake she had made. She screamed and tried to fight, but it was too late: Sephiroth had already possessed her.  
  
  
  
Indeed I had! Sephiroth's voice proclaimed. Now, attack Vincent before he draws his gun.  
  
Yuffie turned to see Vincent's hand reaching towards his holster, but her possessed body acted before it got there. Yuffie leaped at him, her strength, reflexes, and accuracy increased by a ten-fold from her possession, and knocked him roughly to the ground. She smashed his head into the cupboards, rendering him unconscious, or possibly dead. Blood trickled across his forehead. Red XIII lunged at her, snarling, but she kicked him out of the way as she got to her feet. She could have sworn she heard his ribs cracking.  
  
Stop! she cried inwardly. Stop making me do this!  
  
Hush, fool! Sephiroth retorted. He forced her to draw her Shuriken, equipped with several mastered materia, as Red shook himself off, then lunged at her again.  
  
"Begone!" she cried, thus invoking the Remove spell from her Exit materia, and Red XIII vanished in mid-pounce. Cloud turned to run, but Yuffie intercepted him before he could take two steps. She threw him hard against the wall, pinning him there.  
  
Excellent, Sephiroth congratulated her. Now demand the black materia from him.  
  
"No!" Yuffie cried, momentarily gaining control of herself. She released Cloud, backing up a few paces.  
  
Insignificant mortal! Sephiroth cried. I will do it myself! Yuffie tried to fight it, but Sephiroth took complete control of her body once again. He pointed her Shuriken directly at Cloud's heart.  
  
"The black materia Cloud," he demanded, using Yuffie's lips. "Where is it?"  
  
  
  
Cloud had been confused when Yuffie pinned him against the wall and then released him again, but now he knew. Her eyes were now cold, her voice harsh and deep, no longer her own.  
  
"Sephiroth..." Cloud murmured. Sephiroth had possessed her. Now it all made sense. First he gained the only materia that could stop the meteor once summoned; now he wanted the black materia to summon it with.  
  
The nearest point of the Shuriken touched his chest warningly.  
  
"Speak up Cloud," Sephiroth demanded.  
  
"Never," Cloud refused.  
  
Sephiroth thrust Yuffie's weapon in harder. Cloud flinched painfully as the point dug into his flesh. Dark red blood soaked through his shirt, dribbling down his chest.  
  
"Tell me where you've hidden the black materia," Sephiroth commanded again.  
  
"Kill me if you must," Cloud told him, "but I will never reveal it to you!"  
  
Sephiroth yelled angrily. He raised the Shuriken at Cloud, preparing to slash. Cloud closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain.  
  
  
  
There was the sudden sound of shattering glass, and Yuffie turned, her super-reflexes spinning her around with surprising speed. Simultaneously, she felt the intense pain of the bullet ripping through her chest, and the sudden relief, as of a burden being lifted from her shoulders. Yuffie stumbled back and dropped her Shuriken, crumpling to her knees, clasping her hands to her heart. Blood welled out of her chest, seeping between her fingers, and dripped to the floor. She had been released. She had been released from Sephiroth's possession, and now her life would end.  
  
Reeve busted in through the broken window, gun still in hand. He aimed it at her.  
  
"Cloud, you ok?" he asked. "I got here as soon as I could."  
  
"Yeah, you got here just in time," Cloud confirmed. "But Reeve, it's not Yuffie who killed everyone, it's-"  
  
"I know," Reeve interrupted. "I tricked him into telling me before he slashed up my Cait Sith." He kept the gun aimed at Yuffie. "But he's still just as dangerous in this body."  
  
"Cl-Cloud..." Yuffie croaked. Cloud knelt down next to her.  
  
"Yuffie..." he said softly. "Is he gone?"  
  
Yuffie nodded slowly. "Cloud... I'm... sorry... for everything..."  
  
"Yuffie..? Yuffie!?"  
  
With that Yuffie collapsed, her life spent.  
  
  
  
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Author's Note:  
  
I did not want the murderer to be Yuffie. In fact, I had originally intended Yuffie to be the one to survive and discover the killer. However, I simply could not find good enough motives for anyone to murder all these people. Therefore, I eventually decided, killer she would be. I wrote the first chapter not knowing whom the murderer was going to be, then decided on Yuffie and wrote on. After finishing Chapter Five, I changed my mind and decided not to make it Yuffie after all... not exactly, anyway. I had really had no intentions of having Sephiroth in this fan fic, but that didn't turn out the way I expected either. Oh, and this isn't quite finished: there is an epilogue on the way, just as soon as I finish writing it. I hope you enjoyed this mystery, and if this one is well-liked, maybe I'll write another one sometime! 


End file.
